UNK plans limited reopening Monday; Remote work encouraged

KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney will lift its campus closure designation and begin a limited reopening on Monday (May 18) for employees and students who need access.

Faculty and staff are not expected to report to campus in person, and individuals who can continue to work remotely should do so. The reopening formally ends the “stay at home” directive that started April 8, which only permitted employees whose physical presence was necessary to work on campus.

“I know you have worked through some unusual challenges this spring, from specific technology issues to the vague but powerful realities of working from home,” Chancellor Doug Kristensen wrote in a campus-wide email today. “Collectively, you have done a great thing in helping reduce transmission of the novel coronavirus.”

Individuals who have been diagnosed or have COVID-19, show symptoms or have been in contact with a person with COVID-19 should not come to campus until medically cleared. Symptoms include fever, shortness of breath, dry cough, as well as lost sense of smell and taste.

Medical clearance should come from UNK Student Health. Individuals with symptoms should contact Student Health at 308-865-8218 to consult about a quarantine period and symptom tracking.

“We do want you to consider carefully whether you need to be on campus because the public health situation continues, and we need to avoid face-to-face interaction as much as possible,” Kristensen emailed.

As a reminder, there should be no gatherings on campus of more than 10 people and efforts should be made to conduct meetings remotely. Those returning to campus are expected to wear a mask when they are within six feet of another person.

While campus facilities are accessible for employees, buildings will remain locked. Students should contact their instructors about accessing buildings. Facilities staff will continue cleaning expected high touch-point surfaces such as exterior and conference room door handles.

Summer classes and New Student Enrollment are being conducted remotely, and many events hosted on campus in June have been canceled or remain postponed.

UNK Dining will be open to serve students who have summer meal plans, Department of Health and Human Services patients and National Guard personnel. The Antelope Bookstore also will reopen with limited hours.

UNK intends to safely resume in-person teaching and learning in fall 2020. The first day of classes is Aug. 24.

“As we look to resume face-to-face classes in the fall, I have created a task force that will identify policies and practices to mitigate the risks of spreading coronavirus within our campus community,” Kristensen emailed. “Keep up the great work you are doing. The resiliency of UNK is proving to be a powerful trait in this complex environment.”